Deep in the labyrinth, Ruby found herself following behind Glynda. She had no idea how anyone could run that fast in heels.
"Keep your eyes open. We have no idea where the enemy might come from," Glynda said.
"Yes ma'am," Ruby replied.
At that moment, ten White Fang appeared from the walls. Glynda raised her riding crop and nine of them suddenly suffered from broken necks. Their bodies fell to the ground like sacks. The lone survivor was lifted into the air by his arms and legs.
"Where is Adam?" Glynda asked.
"I don't know. This place's layout changes every day. Only his partner and lieutenant know where he is."
"Then you're useless."
Glynda's riding crop glowed purple and the man was slammed into a wall with extreme force. He slid to the ground and didn't get back up.
Glynda kept running. Ruby stared at the bodies left scattered on the ground.
"Get moving or you'll be left behind!" Glynda shouted.
Ruby shook her head and ran to join her teacher.
"How big is this place?" Jaune asked.
"It's a demon's body. It could go on forever," Pyrrha said.
Nora had a hand clamped over her nose. "It reeks in here."
"I agree," Ren said. "We should finish this as soon as possible."
As they ran, the floor shifted and warped. Holes appeared in the floor as tendrils descended from the ceiling. Glynda turned around and flung Ruby back before a part of the wall crashed down on top of her. Glynda ended up losing her balance and fell into a hole that appeared beneath her feet.
"Glynda!" Ruby shouted.
"I'll be fine. Remember the mission!" Glynda shouted as she disappeared into the darkness.
Ruby turned around and saw that Jaune and his team had vanished as well, possibly fallen into another hole. Ruby saw tendrils speeding towards her. She activated her semblance and shot straight ahead like a rocket. Her scythe cut through the flesh and sinew. She didn't stop, no matter how much blood she was coated with or how much her hands ached. Eventually she found herself in a large open area. There was someone else in the room, she could feel it. She heard the crack of a gunshot, and raised her scythe to block. She heard someone walking toward her. Slowly, a familiar face came into view. It was an older man in a bloodstained white coat and black bowler hat.
"Hey, little red," he said, that same smirk on his face.
Ruby tightened her grip on her scythe. "Roman. What are you doing here?"
"I'm just enjoying the party. This world is gonna end soon, and I want a front row seat for when it happens."
"Why? Why not help us save it? I know even someone like you has something to fight for. Please, do the right thing."
Roman laughed. "You're a real girl scout, you know that? I tried doing the right thing, but that never really worked for me. I always fought for the winning side, but there are no winners this time. Gods, demons, they're all the same in the end. We're just toys to these things. There's no way out for us. All we can do is try to enjoy ourselves before we bite it."
Ruby could only stare at him. The man before her couldn't be Roman. Roman was evil, cruel, and vicious, but now he was just afraid. The fear in his eyes was unmistakable.
Ruby shook her head. "You're too far gone. If you're going to stand in my way, then I'll take you down."
Ruby and Roman stared into each others' eyes. Both of them knew that this would be the last time they fought. Deep inside Ruby's heart, there was a small pang of sadness. Roman was the very first person she encountered when she began her career as a Huntsman in training. They had fought several times over the past year. In a strange sense, the two had become somewhat close to each other. But now, it was over. The two would part ways, one way or the other.
But before the battle could begin, a third party fell from the ceiling and crashed into the floor.
"Owww. What happened? Oh gross, it's in my hair!"
"Sun?" Ruby said. "What are you doing here?"
Sun stood and shook the liquid out of his hair. "Hey, Ruby. I fell in a hole. What's going on here?"
Roman chuckled. "Hey, monkey. Didn't think I'd see you again. This time I'll be sure to put you in the ground."
Sun's gaze hardened. "Hey, Roman. Let me ask you something: did you kill Blake?"
Roman smirked. "What would you do if I said yes?"
Sun called his demon. "I'll kill you."
Roman laughed and raised his scroll. "Don't feel too bad, monkey. I'll send you to see her soon enough."
The ground rumbled as the liquid around Roman began to freeze. The demon that appeared from his scroll was immense in strength. Just by floating there it sent a blast of frigid air in every direction. It was a large man with dark purple skin and blonde hair. His body was wrapped up in a white cloak.
Roman took a puff off his cigar. "Loki, why don't you take care of these two?"
Loki raised a hand and sent a wave of ice towards Ruby. It swelled and grew larger every second, until it towered over her and Sun. Ruby tried to run for cover, but there was none to be found.
Sun was unmoved. He drew back his fist and waited. With a shout, his fist shot forward and obliterated the pillar of ice. Ruby could see the swirl of demonic energy surrounding Sun's body.
"Sun. what did you do?"
"What I had to, Ruby," he replied.
"Don't get too full of yourself, boy. You've still got a ways to go before you reach my level."
Ruby looked around the room. "Who said that?" Hhe looked down and saw what looked like a monkey wearing clothes and holding a red staff across its shoulders.
"What are you?" Ruby asked.
"I have many names, girl, but for now I suppose you can call me Seiten Taisei. It has been quite some time since I last fought alongside one of the heretical beings. I hope you can measure up."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'll try not to disappoint you."
XxX
Yang had been running through the dungeon for almost an hour, and every step whittled away at her patience. The ground shifting beneath her made her feel sick, and the smell didn't help. There was no one here who could give her a good fight except Adam, but she had no idea where he was. The trail of dead White Fang grunts she left in her wake didn't do anything for her. She wanted to kill someone that was worth it.
She came to a crossroad. The path split to the left and right. Yang ground her teeth and punched a hole in the wall in front of her. She ran through and kept going until she found a wide open area.
Yang scanned the pitch black room. As far as she could see, there was no one else around. But that was only what her eyes told her. Hidden behind the thick, fetid smell of blood and waste was a smell she found familiar.
"Come on out, Neo. I can't see you, but I can smell you," Yang shouted. Total silence was her reply.
"Fine, guess we do this the hard way."
She slammed her hands into the ground, sending out a torrent of white hot flames in every direction. The flames lit up the room, allowing Yang to see the walls of undulating flesh and the pool of reddish water she was standing ankle deep in. and, she could see an area where the flames parted. It was still invisible, but the illusion flickered. Yang could make out the faint shape of an umbrella. Yang was impressed. She didn't think anyone could last this long against her fire. But, as the rooms filled with flames, Yang's smile grew wider and wider. The flames slowly choked off the oxygen in the room. Neo needed to breathe, Yang didn't. Eventually, she'd run out of energy and succumb. But that didn't appeal to Yang at all.
Yang's fire flickered and sputtered out. Yang fell to her knees breathing heavily. She stayed there for several seconds. She listened, and waited. She heard the footsteps splashing through the water, heard the sound of a blade being drawn. She felt the urge to kill on the back of her neck. In the next instant, she turned around and punched upward, her fist striking home. There was a sound like glass shattering, and Neo appeared with a silent scream drawn on her face. Blood poured from her mouth, as Yang's fist had pierced her body and protruded out her back.
Yang smirked. "Now, I'm gonna go ahead and guess that this isn't how you thought this would go. I understand, I surprise myself some days."
Tears began to roll down Neo's face. Yang gently stroked Neo's face.
"It's okay, let it out. You're not the first person I killed today, and you definitely won't be the last. See you, short stuff."
Yang tore her fist out and watched as Neo fell to the ground. Her eyes were still wide open in shock. Seconds later, she was dead.
Yang let out a sigh. "That was too easy. What a disappointment."
Yang closed her eyes and tried to parse through the torrent of demonic energy surrounding her. She felt several powerful entities, but one was significantly larger than all the others. It was in the deepest part of the dungeon.
"There you are, Adam."
Yang punched at the ground, opening a massive pit beneath her. She jumped down, her laughter echoing off the walls. It was finally time for her to take her revenge.
XxX
Weiss hated this place. It was dark, it smelled awful, and the thick mire of demonic energy clung to her skin and sapped her strength. Even so, she pressed on. There was nothing that would stop her from completing her duty.
A horde of demons blocked her path. Weiss sighed. "It would seem that you intend to impede my progress. While I would like to preserve as much energy as possible, I cannot allow demons to live."
Weiss raised her hand, and all of the demons vanished in a flash of light.
More of this wouldn't do at all. She had already lost interest in walking.
Weiss touched a nearby wall and felt the demon's flesh dissolve beneath her fingers. She walked into the seemingly endless dark until she heard distinctly human voices. She had found him. She slowly descended and landed before the congregation of White Fang members. The man was was searching for was at the front, still just as large and imposing even while missing an arm.
"Well, I never thought I'd see you again," Bane taunted.
Weiss looked up at him with cold, dispassionate eyes. "You are just as unsightly as I remember."
"And you're just as cold as all the other Schnees, or the ones that are left. It's a shame I didn't get to finish you off properly last time, but you've done me a favor. Down here, we have all the time in the world to have some fun. But this time, it won't just be me taking you on, it'll be all of my men too."
Weiss saw that the men numbered in the dozens, nearing a hundred. She could see the emotions that colored their souls. Most of them burned with rage, a few were tinged with fear, and a sizable number of them burned with a naked, primal lust.
Weiss' lip curled. "How disgusting. I will cleanse the impurities of your souls, in the name of the Lord."
